Van der Merwe out to maintain scoring spree

EDWILL van der Merwe will have the opportunity to continue his try-scoring prowess on Saturday in the opening round of the Rugby Championship against Australia at his former hunting ground in Johannesburg.

- LEIGHTON KOOPMAN

No Bok player has ever scored in their first four matches, and the 29-year-old Van der Merwe will have that opportunity when he runs onto the field alongside an experienced side for the first of two Tests against the Wallabies (5.10 pm start).

Springbok greats like Jacques Fourie, Bryan Habana, Makazole Mapimpi, and Joost van der Westhuizen all failed to score in their first four games, with Fourie coming closest by dotting down in his first three. Habana, Van der Westhuizen and Mapimpi blanked in their third games.

After three Tests, Van der Merwe currently has five tries, and he can claim the sole record on Saturday at Ellis Park should he score again. However, that will definitely not be the focus for the speedster from Kylemore in Stellenbosch. He will just look to contribute wherever he can to help secure a crucial starting win for the world champions.